President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is expected to visit on Thursday, the victims of the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck waters northeast of Cebu province, Presidential Communications Secretary Dave Gomez said on Wednesday.
In an ambush interview on the sidelines of the House of Representatives’ plenary debates on the proposed 2026 national budget, Gomez was asked if Marcos would visit areas affected by the strong quake on Tuesday night.
In response, Gomez said cabinet officials went ahead to Cebu because Marcos visited victims of Typhoon Opong earlier.
‘Yes, the cabinet secretaries just went ahead of him to ground zero because this morning, the President visited the victims of the typhoon that hit Masbate.’ ‘But it’s highly likely, almost sure, that tomorrow, first thing tomorrow, the President will go to ground zero,’ he added.
According to Gomez, different government agencies like the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) have been moving to assist victims of the earthquake.
‘Well, first of all our President sends his sympathies, condolences to those whose relatives died after the strong earthquake in Cebu early this morning, actually the President immediately directed the entire cabinet, especially the frontline cabinet secretaries, to visit Cebu, or send their personnel to Cebu so that they can conduct damage assessment and determine the needs of the people there,’ he said.
‘Our cabinet secretaries quickly responded and they have their own recommendations and directives that our President acted upon, first of all of course is for OCD and our Bureau of Fire Protection to visit the area and help in conducting rescue and relief operations, our PNP is also there to ensure the peace and order situation,’ he added.
Gomez said health workers from the Department of Health were also sent to the affected areas, while both the Department of Energy and the Department of Trade and Industry have enforced a price freeze on fuel and electricity and on food and basic products, respectively, to avoid price manipulation.
Late Tuesday night, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck waters northeast of Bogo, Cebu, damaging heritage churches and other structures, and knocking out power in parts of the central Philippines.
In Bogo, at least 27 people have been confirmed dead according to the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO).
As of posting time, the OCD said the death toll may be as high as at least 60 individuals. Initially, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) measured the quake at magnitude 6.7 before upgrading it to a 6.9. The movement was tectonic in nature, and was recorded at a shallow depth of five kilometers below the ground.
Phivolcs then warned of a possible ‘minor sea-level disturbance’ and urged residents of Leyte, Cebu and Biliran to stay away from the coast. The warning was eventually lifted.
Earlier, House Speaker Faustino ‘Bojie’ Dy III said the House leadership is also discussing with district representatives how assistance can be provided for residents in quake-stricken areas.